Why there's still a role for coal

BURIED in the government's Energy Review was a reference to something called a "coal forum". And while the most eye-catching proposals are of other sources, experts say it is the coal-fired power stations that are the biggest energy issue facing Britain.

BURIED in the pages of the government's Energy Review was a reference to something called a "coal forum".

And while the most eye-catching proposals are of nuclear and renewable sources, experts say it is the coal-fired power stations that are the biggest energy issue facing Britain.

The coal forum intends to bring electricity generators and coal producers together in an attempt to secure the long-term future of "clean" coal-fired power stations.

At the moment power stations burning fossil fuels produce around 76 per cent of our electricity and analysts are predicting that plants such as Fiddlers Ferry in Widnes will be around for many years to come.

Rises

Dr Kevin Anderson, from Manchester University's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, believes that coal-fired power stations will still be needed.

"While the government has committed itself to increasing the amount of electricity produced by renewables to 20 per cent in 2020, the amount of electricity we need is expected to rise by roughly the same amount over that period," he said.

"This means that power stations like Fiddlers Ferry will continue to be an important part of the national grid.

"Many of the power stations will improve their use of carbon capture technology. This means that their greenhouse gas causing carbon emissions are pumped into underground storage chambers rather than being released into the atmosphere."